Slideshow: Global Experiments in Affordable Homeownership

An architect's trek around the world serves as a brainstorm for Vancouver solutions.

David P. Ball reports on affordable housing for Tyee Solutions Society. Send him tips or comments by email, find him on Twitter @davidpball, or read his previous Tyee reporting here.

This series was produced by Tyee Solutions Society. It was made possible through the support of Vancity Credit Union. Support for this project does not necessarily imply Vancity's endorsement of the findings or content of this report. TSS funders neither influence nor endorse the particular content of TSS reporting. Other publications wishing to publish this story or other TSS produced articles, please see this website for contacts and information.

1/25 MONTREAL -- Project name: Productive House. Every journey begins at home, and in Friedman's home town of Montreal this 2008 project is designed around growing food in terraces, gardens and greenhouses. It may boast only nine units, but the idea could be scaled up and see many more people cutting costs by harvesting the bounty. Architect: Produktif Studio Design.

2/25 MONTREAL -- Project name: Productive House. Every journey begins at home, and in Friedman's home town of Montreal this 2008 project is designed around growing food in terraces, gardens and greenhouses. It may boast only nine units, but the idea could be scaled up and see many more people cutting costs by harvesting the bounty. Architect: Produktif Studio Design.

3/25 KOBE, JAPAN -- Project name: Layer House. Thinking thin, Friedman has been captivated by the idea of 'narrow houses' for years and authored a book on the subject. Rather than trying to do 'more with less,' Friedman praises projects like this for being beautiful, surprisingly well laid out, and inexpensive because of their smaller footprint. Architect: Hiroaki Ohtani.

4/25 KOBE, JAPAN -- Project name: Layer House. Thinking thin, Friedman has been captivated by the idea of 'narrow houses' for years and authored a book on the subject. Rather than trying to do 'more with less,' Friedman praises projects like this for being beautiful, surprisingly well laid out, and inexpensive because of their smaller footprint. Architect: Hiroaki Ohtani.

5/25 KOBE, JAPAN -- Project name: Layer House. Thinking thin, Friedman has been captivated by the idea of 'narrow houses' for years and authored a book on the subject. Rather than trying to do 'more with less,' Friedman praises projects like this for being beautiful, surprisingly well laid out, and inexpensive because of their smaller footprint. Architect: Hiroaki Ohtani.

6/25 GUANGDONG, CHINA -- Project name: Wanhuilon Affordable Housing. Another housing experiment in China takes the ancient form of the tulou, or 'earthen building' common in the southern province of Fujian -- but with a 2008 update for modern urban living. This prototype contains 297 rental units facing inward in concentric circles. Architect: Urbanus Inc.

7/25 GUANGDONG, CHINA -- Project name: Wanhuilon Affordable Housing. Another housing experiment in China takes the ancient form of the tulou, or 'earthen building' common in the southern province of Fujian -- but with a 2008 update for modern urban living. This prototype contains 297 rental units facing inward in concentric circles. Architect: Urbanus Inc.

8/25 BEIJING -- Project name: Linked Hybrid. The idea behind this 644-unit project built in Beijing in 2006 is to encourage people to live, shop and work in close proximity -- cutting transportation costs and encouraging local community to get costs down. The bridges between the buildings encourage movement between spaces offering commercial and residential mixed uses. Architect: Steven Holl.

9/25 BEIJING -- Project name: Linked Hybrid. The idea behind this 644-unit project built in Beijing in 2006 is to encourage people to live, shop and work in close proximity -- cutting transportation costs and encouraging local community to get costs down. The bridges between the buildings encourage movement between spaces offering commercial and residential mixed uses. Architect: Steven Holl.

12/25 GERMANY -- Project name: LoftCube. The great thing about the LoftCube idea is they can be installed almost anywhere by crane: on abandoned lots, on roofs, on parkade tops. Thick blinds ensure flexibility when it comes to privacy and outward view in these 588-square-foot micro-suites. Architect: Werner Asslinger.

13/25 GERMANY -- Project name: LoftCube. The great thing about the LoftCube idea is they can be installed almost anywhere by crane: on abandoned lots, on roofs, on parkade tops. Thick blinds ensure flexibility when it comes to privacy and outward view in these 588-square-foot micro-suites. Architect: Werner Asslinger.

14/25 GRONINGEN, NETHERLANDS -- Project name: Prefab Lighthouses. Others are experimenting with modular, moveable housing. Built in 2005, these Dutch wooden units clock in at a miniscule 183 square-feet per floor, but they can be stacked three high, tripling that space to make a 'compact, urban apartment' that can be placed on top of any flat-topped building, from low-rise storefronts to parkades or schools. Architects: DAAD Architecten.

15/25 GRONINGEN, NETHERLANDS -- Project name: Prefab Lighthouses. Others are experimenting with modular, moveable housing. Built in 2005, these Dutch wooden units clock in at a miniscule 183 square-feet per floor, but they can be stacked three high, tripling that space to make a 'compact, urban apartment' that can be placed on top of any flat-topped building, from low-rise storefronts to parkades or schools. Architects: DAAD Architecten.

16/25 GRONINGEN, NETHERLANDS -- Project name: Prefab Lighthouses. Others are experimenting with modular, moveable housing. Built in 2005, these Dutch wooden units clock in at a miniscule 183 square-feet per floor, but they can be stacked three high, tripling that space to make a 'compact, urban apartment' that can be placed on top of any flat-topped building, from low-rise storefronts to parkades or schools. Architects: DAAD Architecten.

17/25 GRONINGEN, NETHERLANDS -- Project name: Prefab Lighthouses. Others are experimenting with modular, moveable housing. Built in 2005, these Dutch wooden units clock in at a miniscule 183 square-feet per floor, but they can be stacked three high, tripling that space to make a 'compact, urban apartment' that can be placed on top of any flat-topped building, from low-rise storefronts to parkades or schools. Architects: DAAD Architecten.

20/25 AMSTERDAM -- Project name: Water House. Aside from cutting building costs or finding creative ways to reduce land prices, another way to cut the cost of homes is to avoid land altogether -- for instance, this community floating on water on a lake. This 2005 project on IJ lake, near Amsterdam, is a 65-unit experiment in water-based communities. Architect: Marlies Rohmer.

21/25 AMSTERDAM -- Project name: Water House. Aside from cutting building costs or finding creative ways to reduce land prices, another way to cut the cost of homes is to avoid land altogether -- for instance, this community floating on water on a lake. This 2005 project on IJ lake, near Amsterdam, is a 65-unit experiment in water-based communities. Architect: Marlies Rohmer.

22/25 AMSTERDAM -- Project name: Water House. Aside from cutting building costs or finding creative ways to reduce land prices, another way to cut the cost of homes is to avoid land altogether -- for instance, this community floating on water on a lake. This 2005 project on IJ lake, near Amsterdam, is a 65-unit experiment in water-based communities. Architect: Marlies Rohmer.

23/25 COPENHAGEN -- Project name: The Mountain. This 2010 project may hold only 80 condominiums, but it's an easily scalable and attractive design oriented around residents growing as much of their own food as possible. Every available rooftop and ground space is turned over to small-scale farming to reduce daily costs for homeowners. Architects: BIG and JDS.

24/25 COPENHAGEN -- Project name: The Mountain. This 2010 project may hold only 80 condominiums, but it's an easily scalable and attractive design oriented around residents growing as much of their own food as possible. Every available rooftop and ground space is turned over to small-scale farming to reduce daily costs for homeowners. Architects: BIG and JDS.

25/25 VANCOUVER -- Project name: L41. The tour ends close to home. This 220-square-foot micro-unit in Vancouver is an experiment in compact design, and others like it could be installed as laneway houses in clusters to form a new neighbourhood community. Less space translates into less land, and ideally less cost to buyers. Architect: Michael Katz.

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